NASA satellites have captured the formation and near-complete disappearance of a transient 'ghost island' in the Caspian Sea, created by the eruption of a mud volcano known as Kumani Bank. The images document the island's emergence in early 2023 and its significant reduction in size by the end of 2024.
NASA has released images of a vanishing 'ghost island' in the Caspian Sea captured by its satellites. The island, formed by the eruption of the Kumani Bank mud volcano , emerged in early 2023 and significantly reduced in size by the end of 2024. Mud volcanoes, though not fully understood, occur when subsurface layers of fluidized sediments, like silt and clay, are pressurized by tectonic activity . This pressurized sediment is pushed upward, erupting at the surface to create mounds of mud.
Kumani Bank, located roughly 15 miles off the eastern coast of Azerbaijan, is one such volcano. Its eruptions can present danger, sometimes expelling flammable gasses and even pillars of flame. NASA scientists believe these features may not be unique to Earth; some muddy mounds in the northern lowlands of Mars may have formed when gas- and liquid-rich sediments spewed out to the surface.A series of images from NASA's Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites documented the island's appearance and disappearance. The leftmost image shows the volcano's crest below the surface. In the center image, captured in 2023, an island emerged with a sediment plume trailing away. In the final image taken December 25, 2024, a significantly reduced section of Kumani Bank was visible above the water. This is not the first time Kumani Bank has spawned such a feature. A similar event occurred in May 1861, creating an island that eroded by early 1862. The most powerful eruption occurred in 1950, forming an island 700 meters wide and 6 meters high. Azerbaijan stands out for its exceptionally high concentration of mud volcanoes, situated where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide.University of Adelaide geologist Mark Tingay, at a seminar for the Geological Society of Australia, described mud volcanoes as 'weird and wonderful features that remain largely understudied and little understood.' Stanford University Professor Eric Dunham added, 'Volcanoes are complicated, and there is currently no universally applicable means of predicting eruption.
NASA Caspian Sea Mud Volcano Kumani Bank Ghost Island Transient Island Tectonic Activity Eruption Azerbaijan
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